J. Allen St. John's 'Fire of Asshurbanipal' Weird Tales December 1936 — art by J. Allen St. John — Weird Tales — 1930s
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J. Allen St. John's 'Fire of Asshurbanipal' Weird Tales December 1936

Illustrating Robert E. Howard's supernatural adventure 'The Fire of Asshurbanipal,' this explosive cover depicts a white-clad adventurer clutching a blazing gemstone as skeletal and turbaned assailants lunge from the shadows. The gem erupts with supernatural radiance, illuminating contorted faces mid-attack in classic Howard fashion — ancient evil versus modern grit. J. Allen St. John's dynamic oil technique captures raw menace and pulp drama, with warm amber light shattering the surrounding darkness in a tight, kinetic composition.

Category: Magazine Cover
Publication: Weird Tales
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Decade: 1930s
Country: United States
Coolness: 9/10

A cursed gem blazes with hellfire while skeletal demons and knife-wielding fanatics close in — Robert E. Howard's fever dream rendered in paint and pure adrenaline. This cover doesn't ask for your attention; it grabs you by the throat.

Text in image:

All Stories Complete Weird Tales 25c DECEMBER THE FIRE OF ASSHURBANIPAL a superb weird novelette of a flaming gem that glowed with living fire... By ROBERT E. HOWARD H. P. Lovecraft Otis Adelbert Kline E. Hoffmann Price John Russell Fearn August W. Derleth

Public domain. This vintage illustration is free of known copyright restrictions — free to download, share, and reuse for any purpose.

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